Arch-support.



J. SVENSON.

ARCH SUPPORT. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, 1910.

Patented Apr. 18, 1911,

JOHN SVENSON, OF MALIDEN, MASSACHUSETTS.

ARCH-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 1911.

Application filed March 11, 1910. Serial No. 548,568.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN SvENsoN, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Malden, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements inArch-Supports, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to arch supports to be worn inside the shoe tosupport the arch or instep of the foot, and its object is to provide animproved arch support which will be lighter, and will provide morefreedom of play and elasticity and will therefore afford greater comfortthan structures heretofore devised; and which will at the same timefurnish adequate support for a broken or stretched arch whether theweight of the body is on the foot, as when the wearer is standing, orwhether there is comparatively little weight on the foot, as when thewearer is sitting.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of theinvention,Figure 1 is a perspective view of the spring body of the archsupport, in its normal position of use; Fig. 2 is a perspective View ofthe under side of the arch support; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of thearch support; Fig. 4 is a side view of the innermost or largest of thearched spring members; and Fig. 5 is a similar View of the outermost orsmallest of the arched spring members.

The resilient body A of the arch support, is made from a single piece ofresilient sheet metal, such as steel, of tapering form, cut inwardlyfrom its inclined edges, alternately from one side and the other asshown at a, to form a continuous, convoluted or Zigzag strip or ribbon,the convolutions a of which lie side by side in close juxtaposition.These convolutions or bands or extend lengthwise of the foot and arearched or curved as shown, each section or convolution forming an archedspring which is independently and individually expansible, thus insuringgreat flexibility and elasticity throughout all parts of the spring bodyof the arch support. And as the lateral edges of the connected springmembers a are closely juxtaposed, as shown, the body of the arch support A affords a substantially continuous supporting surface, withoutspaces between the individual spring members. The ends of the severalconvolutions or spring members are upturned as shown at (0 so as not tocut or tear the bottom of the shoe when the weight of the user tends toflatten the arched spring members, and to provide a smooth and easybearing surface.

Since the spring body of the arch support is cut from a blank oftapering form, the length of the arched spring members a will decrease.from one side toward the other of the arch support. The broad side ofthe support (Fig. 4) is intended for the inner side of the foot, wherethe instep is highest and the arch most pronounced, and may be termedthe inner side of the arch support; and the narrow side of the archsupport, may be termed its outer side. It will also be seen that thecurve of the arch of the spring members on the inner side of the supportis more pronounced than that of the outer spring members. In order toconform to the normal shape of the foot the resilient body A is alsocurved downward on its transverse axis X-X.

Covering the resilient body of the sup port, and conforming to itsgeneral shape, is a shield B, of thin leather or other suitable fiexiblematerial to protect the foot from the springs. The shield may be securedto the top side of the resilient body in any suitable manner. It shouldbe secured at two points at least in order to prevent it from twistingout of position, but in order that the free play of the spring membersmay be interfered with as little as pos- 10 lateral edges in closejuxtaposition, whereby sible, it is preferably connected by means ofrivets or other fasteners at only two points, as at b, b.

I claim:

In an arch support, a curved resilient body made from a single piece ofsheet metal cut I inwardly alternately from its opposite edges to form acontinuous convoluted strip, the several convolutions thereof havingtheir the several convolutions form asubstantially continuous archedsupporting surface, the individual members of which are independentlycompressible and expansible.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 5th day of March 1910. JOHNSVENSON.

' Witnesses: 7

ROBERT OUSHMAN, CHARLES D. WOODBERRY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G.

